My Wife the Nurse

was giving out the vaccine today at San Francisco General Hospital
when she called up a woman who had so many tracks on her arms
that at first my wife was a bit startled.
While giving her the shot she tried not to think about her condition.
And when I asked if the vaccine would work on a drug addict,
in particular a heroin addict, my wife responded,
"I don't know for sure. . . I'm assuming that the vaccine
would work just as effectively. . ."
Nodding my head, I then asked if the woman was homeless,
to which she answered, "She didn’t look homeless to me.
In fact she was pretty well dressed—probably around 30,
but looked much older. She seemed embarrassed about her arms...
just wanted to get her shot and get out of there..."

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Jeffrey Zable is a teacher and conga drummer who plays Afro Cuban Folkloric music for dance classes and Rumbas around the San Francisco Bay Area. His poetry, fiction, and non-fiction have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and anthologies. Recent writing in MockingHeart Review, Remington Review, Ink In Thirds, Third Wednesday, Awkward Mermaid, Soft Cartel, The Bitchin' Kitch, Rosette Maleficarum, and many others. In 2017 he was nominated for The Best Of The Net and The Pushcart Prize.